You’re the Worst is growing up. In the fifth and final season of the dark romantic comedy, every episode leads to Jimmy (Chris Gere) and Gretchen’s (Aya Cash) illusive wedding. We see Gretchen’s public relations job grow more demanding, and we watch her struggle under the pressure. Gretchen’s depression, as established in season two, seems to be rearing its head as she’s forced to cope while her wedding approaches. With Gretchen making excuses to avoid wedding planning, Jimmy is left to his own devices to pick out the flowers, the music and the food, while adapting his novel into a screenplay.
Cash is at her best in this season, having four seasons prior to perfect the nuances of Gretchen’s character. She has the ability to showcase Gretchen’s fluctuating emotions with a single look. We see a few of these scenes throughout the season. We often see Gretchen staring at herself in the mirror, looking desperate and pained with tears in her eyes and a tight, close-lipped smile.
Jimmy and Gretchen aren’t the only ones forced to grow up. Edgar (Desmin Borges) and Lindsay (Kether Donohue) were once the comedic relief sidekicks, but now we see them slowly growing into their own. Edgar has grown confident and manages his PTSD symptoms while having a successful television writing job and holding it together for Jimmy and Gretchen. Lindsay is making her own strides at the same public relations firm where Gretchen works, but she’s distracted by her desperate attempts to find love.
In its final season, the show’s creator, Stephen Falk, takes chances. The show experiments with camera angles and sound in ways that weren’t seen throughout the first four seasons. The first episode of the season, “The Intransigence of Love,” is full of references to classic ‘90s romantic comedies. With the first half entirely void of any recurring You’re the Worst characters, the episode follows teenagers Gemma and Jake, an employee at a video store, whose doomed love is brought together by their love of film. The episode ends by showing that Jimmy and Gretchen are just telling elaborate lies about their love story to wedding planners.
You’re the Worst has always asked the question, “Can two flawed and self-absorbed people actually commit to each other?” Season five holds the answer.